This invention relates generally to an inexpensive device which may be applied to standard cartons to releasably close them after they have been opened, so that the contents are protected against odor, dust, dirt or other contaminants, and against spillage of the contents.
In recent years, the packaging materials for milk, fruit juices, and many other materials have changed from glass or plastic containers to heavy paper or cardboard cartons, particularly for half-gallon sizes or less. These cartons have gable tops, are often wax-impregnated or wax coated, and multi-layered strips at the top of the carton are heat sealed together to close the carton. By prying apart the strips at one side of the carton, a pouring spout is formed to easily dispense the contents from the carton.
After the desired amount of contents are dispensed, the spout may then be folded back inward. However, the closure is now imperfect since the heat seal on the pried portion of the strip is broken and the various layers of the strip are no longer in close contact with each other. Thus, the contents of the carton are subject to contamination by moisture, odors, dust, dirt and the like. Further, the contents of the carton may spill from the carton.
The present invention provides an inexpensive, easily applied, closure device for closing and protecting the contents of cartons after they have been opened. The closure device may be dimensioned to fit any standard size carton, i.e., one pint, one quart, one-half gallon, etc.
Previous devices for the closure of gable types of cartons have been incorporated in the carton design and have been manufactured and supplied with the carton. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,771 (Blunsdon), shows a closure device where the container includes a flap which folds over one of the top strips of the container with a spring clip inserted over the flap to provide the closure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,336,503 (Ringler) is disclosed a gable or bellows container sliding closure comprised of a slotted closure member which slides over the top strip of the container. Again, in this case, the containers are specifically designed to incorporate the closure mechanism, and the closure element is supplied with the container when the container is manufactured.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,030,134 (Burgener) is disclosed a closure device for a flat top box which is employed where the contents are removed from the box by punching holes in the top of the box.
Other types of devices which utilize clip-type closures which have to be slipped onto or about the outer surfaces of the strips which define the opening in the gable top of the carton are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,381,883 (Harris), 3,458,110 (Goldman) and 3,463,380 (Cooperstein).
All of the foregoing problems were solved with my prior invention for a reusable closure device for cartons having gable tops, U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,961, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. That device also protects the contents of cartons having gable tops from odor, dust, dirt or other contaminants and from spillage after the carton is opened. The closure device is placed upon the carton and covers the top part of the carton. A longitudinal gap in the device encloses and presses together the top strips of the carton, which were pried apart to form a spout for dispensing the contents of the carton, thereby closing the carton. The device comprises a flanged cap with a pair of inner surfaces defining a longitudinal slot and included inclined side walls extending from the flanged cap and adapted to make a snug fit with the cap top, with there being front and rear walls extending downwardly from the flanged cap. Also, the front and rear walls extended between the inclined side walls, and there was a pair of skirts which extended from the lower edge of each of the inclined side walls and spanned the lower portions of the front and rear walls.
For larger cartons, the device incorporates a section for holding the carton with a handle for tilting the carton to dispense its contents. In one embodiment, the closure section of the device snaps onto the holding section to close the carton. In a second embodiment, the closure section is connected to the holding section by a hinge.
The closure device of my U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,961 has worked well. It need only be applied to the gable top without any special guidance or manipulation. However, I recognized a need to eliminate a considerable portion of the plastic used in a closure device, as well as a need to facilitate the gripping of a closure device from the end walls in lieu or of supplementary with grasping of the closure device along the top section or flanged cap or tab. Accordingly, in my second U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,549, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, is disclosed a modified reusable closure device for cartons for gable tops, which is similar to my prior invention. However, in this invention, the closure device possesses shortened inclined walls as well as end walls having a lower arcuate convex edge to facilitate a gripping by the fingers of a user. This device may be used with all standard types of containers and does not require any special container designs.
Other types of closure devices may be found in the following references: U.S. Pat. No. Des. 182,215 (Wilson), U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,533,539 (Vivian), 2,586,931 (Gammon), 2,647,524 (Heavens, Jr.), 2,896,812 (Paprocki), 2,906,439 (Santuci, Sr.), 3,217,967 (Jackson), 3,373,897 (Haines), 3,381,875 (Tunick), 3,488,078 (Cooperstein), 3,693,864 (Wilkins), 4,109,351 (Coffey), 4,323,188 (Dickerson), 4,498,585 (Gordon et al.), 4,588,081 (Newsome et al.) and 4,619,398 (Laramie); and Norwegian Patent No. 81,458.
Accordingly, a need exists for a reusable closure device for cartons having gable tops.